Robert pl iptjtchinson



(No Model.)

B. H. HUT'GHINSON.

SHIRT.

Patented May 20, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT HUTCHINSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,099, dated May 20,1890.

Application filed fieptemher 2, 1889. Serial No. 322,745. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT H. HUTOHIN- SON, a citizen .of the UnitedStates, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Shirts, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to clothing, and more particularly to mens shirts,and has for its object to so construct the same that they can bemanufactured in large quantities and sold upon the general market, inwhich persons of a substantial uniformity of size, but differing inspecial features, can be fitted by the samesized garment, it being madeadjustable and also provided with other -particular improvements, aswill be hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front viewof a shirt embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectiontalview of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section through the line:10 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. i is an enlarged detail view of a portion of oneof the sleeves. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pattern from which thesleeve is made, and Fig. 6 is a slight modification.

Arepresents the body of my improved shirt, the neckband of which 13 ispreferably open at the back and made so narrow at the front that it isin reality only a binding, as shown at D.

Secured upon the inside of the shirt at the front, with its upper endunder the edge of the band, is atab E, which is substantially triangularin shape, andwhich may be turned up so as to project slightly abo've theneckband, as shown in Fig. 1. The tab is provided with a button-hole F,which is just above the top of the band B when the tab is turned up, andwhich registers with a button-hole G in the shirt-bosom just below theband when the tab is turned down. The object of this arrangement of thetab and button-holes is to permit of different-sized collars being wornupon the same-sized shirt, to adapt it for different-sized necks, andalso to permit the same person to wear a larger or smaller collar, asdesired, and also to wear the collar high or low at the front. Bysecuring the upper edge of the tab under the edge of the band when thetab is turned down it fits perfectly smooth and even, and when turnedup, owing to the very narrow band, the pressure of the collar is uponthe tab and the slight welt made by the fold of the tab pushes the bandoutwardly, so that there is no inconvenience or pain to the wearerwhatever.

Another advantage arising from making the neckband so very narrow infront and securing the tab as above described is that the button-hole inthe tab is not so far above the button-hole in the bosom when the tab isturned up as to expose the lower button-hole in using the narrow-styleties, nor to make the collar project so high as to be uncomfortable tothe wearer, and as the bosom is not as thick as the band with the upperedges of the bosom and lining between its edges the shirt will not be sothick and bungling when the tab is turned down and the collar-button ispassed through it and the bosom as would be the case were the tabsecured near the upper edge of the band and the lower button-hole madethrough the lower portion of the band. This construction makes a muchmore durable shirt, as it is well known that in the ordinary shirt whenthe stud-hole is made in the band it soon gives out, requiring a renewalof the band, whereas with my improvement the wearer has two button-holesto use, and when used in the lower position it is a reenforcement forthe hole in the bosom. If desired, the tab may be used with the ordinarywide band having a stud-hole, in which case the tab will re-enforce itwithout projecting above the top of the band, and the bosom may be alsoprovided with a hole or not, as desired.

Another novelty and advantage that I i11- troduce into my improvedshirt, which is preferably made open at the back, is in making a hole Hin the front portion of the shirt for introducing the hand to the personof the wearer. This hole preferably extends from the lower end of thebosom nearly to the lower edge of the skirt, and is preferably formed bymaking the front of the shirt of two pieces I and J, and thenoverlapping them from the.

bosom to the tail of the skirt and closing the lower portion of theopening by means of the cross-stitching K, which will prevent theseparation of the parts of the skirt, except when needed, and theoverlapping of the edges will prevent the spreading apart or gaping ofthe front portion of the shirt. If, however, it is desired, the shirtmay be made open in front and have the opening extend to near the bottomof the skirt, where it is closed by means of the cross-stitching, asshown, when the opening only extends from thebottom of the bosom.

A still further improvement which I introduce into my shirt, but whichmay also be used as well upon other garments whenever a seam is to beleft open for a short distance, as in drawers, or other under-clothing,&c., is the overlapping re-enforcing edges made in tegral with the clothat such open portions of the seams. In the drawings I have shown such aconstruction at the ends of the sleeves at L L and atthe sides of theskirt at M M, and it may also be used at the opening at the back of theshirt. These re-enforcing edges or pertions of the garment project fromeach ed ge N of the goods in the shape of a pointed flap, as shown at()in full lines in Fig. 5, or they may be made longer, as shown in dottedlines at I. \Vhen they are made triangular, as at O, and are broughttogether by uniting the edges N N in an ordinary seam, each of the flapsoverlap the bodyportion of the cloth to which it is secured along itsedges by stitching, thus forming what I have called the diamond gusset,owing to the diamond-like shape the rows of stitching assume at thatpoint when both flaps have been secured in place, and also because theytake the place of the gusset that has heretofore been used in suchplaces. \Vhen, however, the flaps are made as shown in dotted lines inFig. 5, they are made a trifle longer than the open portion of the seam,and their edges will be substantially parallel with the edges N N, towhich they are connected by the inclined edge Q. \Vhen the edges N N areunited by the ordinary scam, the flaps N N will overlap each other theentire length of the open seam and the stitching will appear pointed atone end only, and a row of cross-stitching R will be necessary to unitethe flaps at the upper end of the open seam. The same kind of a closuremay be made for a slit or opening in the edge of a garment, as where itis not desired to make it at one end of a seam by making the facing for.one side of the cloth along the opening wide enough to form the flapand longer than the slit, so that it may be secured along its edges tothe cloth above the slit, and also by the cross-stitch just at the innerend of the slit. The upper end of this facing is preferably turned in toform a point S, as shown in Fig. 6, and the facing for the cloth alongthe opposite edge of the slit may be wide enough to form a flap or not,as desired, the main object being to re-enforce the cloth at the end ofthe slit by additional thicknesses of ma terial and the cross-stitching,as well as by the stitching along the edges of the re-enforcing cloth.

As different persons require different-sized necks for the same sizedshirt, so different lengths of sleeves are also required by differentpersons or by the same person for different reasons. I secure this endby providing each of the sleeves with loops T of narrow bands or cords,which are doubled or folded and the free ends are secured upon anyportion of the sleeve, while the doubled portion may be looped over abutton upon another portion of the sleeve, but at a greater distancefrom the point where the ends of the loops are secured than the lengthof the loop, so that when the loop is made to engage with the button theportion of the sleeve between the button and the point of securemeut ofthe loop will be folded or wrinkled and the sleeve be madecorrespondingly shorter, as shown in Fig. 1. Instead of thus securingthe loop or loops at any point upon the sleeve, I have found it verydesirable to secure them along the opening above the wristband, andutilize the cuff-button for engaging with them and shortening thesleeve, or a stud may be placed at the back of the wristband, with whichthe loop may engage, as shown in one of the sleeves in Fig. 1; andinstead of using them only upon one side of the opening they may besecured upon both sides, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, althoughone set of them for each sleeve will be found very satisfactory.

The way I have found to be the cheapest in making the loops and the mostreadily applied is to secure the ends of the band or cord forming theloop under the facing U of the cloth along the slit and letting the loopproject at about right angles to the edge of the slit. This will causethe loops to project back out of the way when not in use, and bysecuring them under the edge of the facing will cause them to lie fiatupon the cloth without extra sewing or stitching. By having two setsupon each sleeve, if either one of the loops of one set becomes worn orbroken the corresponding loop of the other set can be utilized, or theloops of the two sets can be made to alternate with each other, so thata finer adjustment of the length of the sleeve can be had.

I am aware that sleeves have thus been shortened. by use of a strapprovided with button-holes; but the loops made from a narrow tape orcord, as I have shown them, are much cheaper than working button-holesand answer every purpose, as each loop in reality forms a button-hole ofitself.

\Vhen constructed as above described, my improved shirt will be found topossess many desirable advantages over those in use heretofore, andespecially in shirts that are manufactured in large quantities and soldupon the market, as instead of making so many different sizes to fitpersons differing from each other only in one or two points one sizeneed IIO only be made, and then be made to fit the wearer by means ofthe adjustments for the neck and sleeve. The addition of the otherfeatures set forth make the shirt all the more valuable; but of coursethey are such that they may be incorporated into any other shirt, whilethe diamond gusset may be readily applied to other articles or garments.

That I claim isv 1. In a shirt having a button-hole in the top of thebosom below the neckband, the combination, with the narrow imperforateneckband, of a tab secured to the top of the bosom with its upper endunder the inner edge of the-band and provided with a buttonholeregistering with and re-enforcing the hole in the bosom when the tab isdown and adapted to be above the top of the band when the tab is raised,substantially as described.

2. In a shirt, the combination, with the sleeves, of a series ofadjusting-loops secured along the opening at the wrist and adapted toengage with the cuff-button, substantially as described.

3. In a shirt, the combination, with the sleeves, of a series of loopsformed from pieces of narrow tape or cord, the ends of which are securedunder the edges of the cloth along the opening above the wristband,substantially as described.

4. In a shirt, the combination, with the sleeves, of the loops securedthereto at the sides of the openings above the wristband,

said loops alternating with each other upon the two sides of theopening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT H. HUTCHINSON.

\Vitnesses:

M. BRUCE, P. F. MAGUIRE.

